Apple outbids Netflix for Aniston-Witherspoon show on morning TV
APPLE ordered a TV series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, two of the most successful actresses of their generation, in the clearest sign yet of the tech giant’s intent to make a big splash in Hollywood.
The Cupertino, Californiabased maker of iPhones and iPads outbid many of the TV industry’s biggest players, including Netfl ix Inc., and committed to producing two seasons. The as-yet unnamed show, the fi rst recurring TV role for Aniston since “Friends,” is set in the world of morning television, Apple said on Wednesday.
The company has now signed up Steven Spielberg and two award-winning actresses for its foray into television programming. Apple has also committed to making “Amazing Stories,” an anthology series produced by Spielberg and “Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller.
With almost US$ 270 billion in cash and securities in its coffers, Apple has the money to make as much TV as anyone. Yet partners who’ve met with the company have had trouble discerning a clear strategy, and some of its early efforts have been slowed by indecision and concern over how some subjects may reflect on the company’s image.
Apple hasn’t said where people will be able to watch its shows, though the company hopes to release its fi rst slate in 2019, Bloomberg reported in October. Former Sony Corp. executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are overseeing the programming.
The company has signed high-profi le talent to establish itself as a formidable player in Hollywood, which is in the midst of an historic production boom as online viewing takes off. The number of scripted programmes being made has mushroomed thanks to an influx of money from Netfl ix and competitors including Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube.
The morning show project is being run by Jay Carson, producer of “House of Cards,” the political drama that put Netfl ix on the map as a home for premium original series. Witherspoon and Aniston are also producing the project with former HBO executive Michael Ellenberg. CNN reporter Brian Stelter, author of “Top of the Morning” is a consultant on the project and his book will provide background material. — WP-Bloomberg